Grand Junction Canal

200 years ago: when our canal changed direction.

The Act of Parliament: 58th GEORGE III Cap xviii

March 2018 is the 200th anniversary since the publication of an Act relating to the Grand Junction Canal (GJC), now known as the Grand Union Canal (GUC). Acts of Parliament are identified by the Kings Regnal Year, in this case the 58th year of the reign of George III. George reigned from 1760 to 1820 and is well known for having lost our American colonies and for his mental illness in later life, portrayed in the film The Madness of King George.

The Act is dated 17th March 1818; its fourteen pages describe the realignment of the canal through Apsley and Nash Mills. Additionally, it makes minor amendments in relation to twelve earlier Acts. Before we examine this Act it may be useful to look at the background to the canal’s existence.

During the eighteenth century the area around Birmingham had become a major manufacturing centre with most of its customers based in London. The need for bulk haulage was best satisfied by water transport with the first canal route opening in 1790. The circuitous, 230-mile route passed through Oxford, although London and Birmingham were only 105 miles apart. Despite the distance it proved immensely popular, so an improved route was suggested in 1792. This was to be a wider canal to allow Thames boats to navigate its length. Within months detailed surveys and plans for a route from Braunston to Brentford were completed and finances put in hand. By the end of April 1793 an Act was in place creating the GJC and fixing its route.

Work began immediately, starting at both ends, with major intermediate sections, like the Tring cutting, being put in hand early. The first section to be completed was between Brentford and Uxbridge which was formally opened in November 1794. All the construction work was manual as no machinery was then available. The workforce ‘navigated’ their way across country so that their pseudonym of ‘navvies’ soon became a by-word for any kind of labourer.

The company’s engineer, William Jessop, brought the canal to Kings Langley in September 1797, then to Two Waters by the end of the year. This is the section which is of interest to us in this article since it would only last for about twenty years. Northward the canal had many major engineering works including tunnels, viaducts and embankments and it was some years before barges could travel the full length without the need for transhipment around uncompleted or collapsed sections.

To return to our local portion from Two Waters towards Kings Langley the route followed the contour of the hillside for 1½ miles before descending 28ft to the river level by a ‘ladder’ of four locks. This section, known as ‘The Long Pound’ was a source of irritation to the owners of the mills who claimed that they lost water power due to leakage of the pound, also water was diverted away from their wheels reducing the ability to trade as before. There is now no trace of the four locks which were close to where the railway bridge crosses the canal.

The plan reproduced above shows the original line of the canal, a steam engine erected by the GJC to pump water back into the pound and the revised route diverting from near to the Durrants Hill bridge near where Ebberns Road is today. It can be see that the route lies to the north of Belswains Lane and behind the Three Tuns public house. The revised route, surveyed by Thomas Telford, brought the canal very close to both Apsley and Nash Mills, both owned by John Dickinson.

John Dickinson had bought Apsley Mill in 1809 and Nash Mill about a year later. As an ambitious and influential young man, he was quick to take issue with the GJC on several occasions, culminating in the creation of the Act we are concerned with today.

Hindsight shows that the re-alignment was a shrewd move by Dickinson as he now had a major transport artery on his doorstep. Although a paper maker and stationer by trade he tendered for the building works associated with the new canal route, thereby ensuring that the canal banks, which were to become his wharves, were built to his own requirements. The Act we are concerned with also provided him with toll-free travel for his boats between his mills and prohibited mooring at night alongside the garden of Nash Mill house, where he lived. There was a risk that the mill owners would use more water than the canal could support so there were markers from which depth measurements would be taken, in one case the mark was the top of the arch of a window arch at Nash Mill which the water should not be less than 7 ½ feet below.

A consequence of canal building, where the water was at least 4½ feet deep was the need for bridges since the river could no longer be forded. Realising the need for a bridge to be built for Red Lion Lane, which at that time passed close to Nash Mills House, Dickinson successfully applied to the Hertfordshire magistrates to divert the lane further from his house to provide him with an improved view.

The details of the Act provided the essential foundation for the expansion of John Dickinson’s business. The transport link provided his business with the means to expand. Within ten years he had built two new factories alongside the canal downstream at Home Park, Kings Langley, and at Croxley near Rickmansworth. London branches at Paddington and Kings Cross followed, both linked to the GJC allowing overnight delivery of product made the previous day. Additionally, when water power proved to be inadequate to support his business expansion he was able to obtain coal from the midlands coal fields delivered by canal.

So, to conclude, although the above is a very sketchy review of events the big question in my mind is why John Dickinson took such a strong stand. He already knew about water shortage problems when he bought the mills, also he had already introduced a steam engine in 1815, two years before his campaign for the Act. Did he anticipate an increased use of steam, and therefore the need for coal? It is unlikely that we will ever know. I suspect that he may have been holding his cards very close to his chest 200 years ago. -Mike Stanyon

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Ballot for #hertsbigweekend 2019 tickets closes on 17th March! We've got 30 tickets up for grabs for a tour of our mill on Sunday 7th April. Apply at the following link, and make sure to check out the other attractions! tinyurl.com/frogmorebigweekend Good luck! #frogmorepapermill #visithertsuk Visit Herts

Ballot for #hertsbigweekend 2019 tickets closes on 17th March! We've got 30 tickets up for grabs for a tour of our mill on Sunday 7th April. Apply at the following link, and make sure to check out the other attractions! tinyurl.com/frogmorebigweekend Good luck! #frogmorepapermill #visithertsuk Visit Herts

Paper and Board - we can cover this part of your curriculum with ease. Students can absorb unit content by doing and seeing in an industrial setting. We are very informative and sessions are very hands on.

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Batchworth Mill first made paper in 1755 and was known as Mill No 433 in the Excise List. The mill was occupied by the Fourdriniers when John Dickinson took it over for the production of half-stuff for use at his other mills (Apsley and Nash at that time) in 1818. Note that this is the same year that the canal was diverted at Apsley and so he would have used the canal for transportation.

Croxley Mill was built by John Dickinson and first made paper in 1830. it was Mill No 693 in the Excise List. It was the main centre for making paper from the 1880’s, had a specialised plant for converting esparto grass to pulp. From 1898 it had its own internal railway connected to the main lines for deliveries of coal. It was closed by the Dickinson Robinson Group in December 1980.

Home Park Mill stood opposite where Kings Langley station still stands. Home Park was built by John Dickinson and first made paper 1826. It was known as Mill No 614 in the Excise List. The main products were coated (coloured) boards. It was closed by DRG in December 1980.

Nash was a mill site at the time of the Domesday Book (1086) and had certainly been there at least 100 years prior to that. Paper was first made at Nash in 1769 and was known as Mill No 402 in the Excise List. It was bought by John Dickinson in 1811, only ceasing to make paper in 2006, when owned by SAPPI (South African Pulp and Paper Industries), whose core product had become coated paper and Nash was unable to make it. The main products until 1980 were board grades.

Apsley Mill first made Paper in 1778 and was known as Mill No 403 in the Excise List. Bought by John Dickinson in 1809, it had ceased to make paper by 1888. Thereafter the Mill concentrated on converting paper from company’s other mills into stationery, particularly envelopes, cards and ledgers. Also laminated card for railway tickets etc. by pasting layers of paper/board together. The mill, known now as DRG (Dickinson Robinson Group) closed in 1990.

Frogmore mill was also known as Frogmoor Mill and Covent Mill. Frogmore Mill was named in a charter of Ashridge Monastery and the mill was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a corn mill, later changing to fulling then to papermaking in 1774.

Two Waters (also known as Top Mill) First made Paper 1763, From 1791 used by Fourdriniers. Mill No 400 in Excise list. By 1818 occupied by Thomas Nichols, then from 1853 George Watkin Hayes when there were four beating engines for one 62” m/c. In 1877 went bankrupt but mill then in use by John Dickinson & Co for 7 years to prepare esparto half stuff. From 1818 the owners were the Grand Junction Canal Co.

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Frogmore is a lovely venue for a fun and educational family day out – truly something for everyone. Paper is a massively fascinating, yet much overlooked invention. It is hands-on papermaking and heritage in action. A mixture of craft, science, history and Industrial Revolution.

Frogmore Paper Mill is very well situated for all forms of transport. We sit between Apsley and Hemel Hempstead stations, both on the Euston line, have easy access to the M25 and M1, and from there to major airports. If you are coming by car we suggest you use the pay and display car park in Durrants Hill Road, a 5 minute walk away. We have a small number of spaces reserved for those with disabilities at the front of our mill. Coaches should use HP3 9RW for our rear coach park.

Our paper shop will tempt you with most of our papers and more. On display you will find both our hand and machine made papers in a range of sizes, including 100 cotton handmade, inclusion papers, cartridge and our very desirable Studio Pads and Notebooks. In addition we sell stationery sets, paper and mill related books, greetings cards and souvenirs for all. Prices from 50p upwards.

The Peter Ingram Gallery was founded in celebration of our founder and first Chair of Trustees. The gallery is light and spacious with simple booking terms, plus the opportunity to additionally book our café walls. We exhibit the artwork of local and national artists, touring exhibitions, community groups and our own historical paper archive displays.

Our papermakers offer a bespoke papermaking service for orders of both handmade sheets and machine made papers, not currently in stock and of commercially viable quantity. We have produced many special makings for designers, artists, advertising agencies and paper merchants. We have a reputation for fine quality unusual papers, many with inclusions.

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Frogmore Paper Mill is the birthplace of paper's industrial revolution. In 1803 the first of what went on to be called a Fourdrinier Paper Machine, was installed and operated here launching the revolution that made paper the cheap, plentiful product that we all use every day of our lives.

Operated by the Apsley Paper Trail charity which leases the mill from Dacorum Borough Council so that its unique history and equipment can be preserved for the nation and the premises used for education, entertainment and enlightenment.